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Transport

Home to School Transport is provided by the Local Authority in most cases, as a school Springside do not have any jurisdiction over this.

Bus routes, Drivers and Escorts may change over the year but every effort is made to give you and your child a consistent service.

Pick-up details for your child are usually shared with you in August.

The attachment below is a copy of the Rochdale School Transport Policy and a Parents' Guide for Home To School Transport (SEN) provided by the Transport Team.

If you have any queries about transport, please contact them on 01706 922050.

Home to School Transport

There are 4 categories of children of statutory school age eligible for home to school transport:

1. Children attending their nearest suitable school over the statutory walking distance
Transport or travel assistance will be provided free of charge for those pupils of primary and secondary age who are travelling over the statutory walking distance to/from the main entrance of their nearest suitable school. The statutory walking distances are:

• 2 miles for pupils aged up to 8 years
• 3 miles for pupils aged 8 and over

This minimum provision that Local Authorities must provide is set out in the Education Act 1996, in particular Sections 508 A-C.

2. Children whose walking route to school is unsafe
Transport will also be provided when a Local Authority has carried out an assessment of a child’s walking route to school and decides it would not be safe to walk to school along this road.

3. Children of families with extended rights
The Education and Inspections Act 2006 also extends Local Authority duties and powers by extending entitlement to those from low income families, this is called 'Extended Rights'. These rights extend free transport to those who are entitled to free school meals and those whose parents are in receipt of the maximum level of Working Tax Credit and include:

• Children aged between 8 and 11 where they live more than 2 miles from their nearest qualifying school;
• Children aged between 11 and 16 if they attend one of the three nearest qualifying schools, where the school attended is more than 2 miles but less than 6 miles from the home address.
• Children aged between 11 and 16 if they attend the nearest available school based on their religion or belief and the school attended is more than 2 miles but less than 15 miles from the home address.

4. Children attending their nearest suitable school and they cannot reasonably be expected to walk there because of their special educational needs, disability or mobility problems
The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice for Children and Young People aged 0 to 25 provides further guidance on definitions of special educational needs and disability. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

In exceptional cases the Local Authority has the discretion to provide free home to college transport for young people aged 16-25 attending a Post 16 or Post 19 further education or training setting. http://www.rochdale.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/policies-strategies-and-reviews/policies/children-and-young-people/Pages/16@parentID09-transport-policy.aspx

How to apply

The quickest way to register is online; you can do this by clicking on the appropriate link below: